Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Elon Musk poured more than $20 million into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race. The most expensive judicial election in state history — and possibly costliest state supreme court election ever — came as Musk’s company, Tesla, sued to open dealerships in Wisconsin. State law bars auto manufacturers from operating dealerships. Musk supported Republican-backed Brad Schimel over Democrat-backed Susan Crawford and gave people $100 for signing a petition against “activist judges.” But the race was called for Crawford within hours of polls closing. She led Schimel by 10 points as of early Wednesday morning with 98% of votes counted.
Seven tribal nations in Michigan have withdrawn from discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a federal permit for pipeline operator Enbridge’s Line 5. The company plans to move a roughly four-mile stretch of the pipeline, which crosses the Straits of Mackinac, into an underground tunnel. The tribes were already concerned about the process, including the Army Corps’ apparent lack of receptiveness to the issues they raised, Whitney Gravelle, president of the Bay Mills Indian Community, told Interlochen Public Radio. Learning during a recent meeting that the Trump administration planned to fast-track the tunnel permit under an executive order declaring an energy emergency was “the final straw,” Gravelle said.
An oil spill outside a Suncor Energy refinery on the Canadian side of the St. Clair River is not a threat to nearby Michigan, authorities said this week. The extent of the spill, which occurred last Thursday, is estimated at less than 200 gallons, and cleanup efforts are expected to be complete in the next few days, according to the Canada Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The oil is not believed to have spread beyond Suncor’s containment area, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The St. Clair River flows south from Lake Huron — the lakes are not expected to be impacted.
Gotion Inc., the company behind an embattled Central Michigan battery manufacturing project, said plans for a more than $2 billion plant are on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit against Green Charter Township. The company sued a year ago after the township’s newly elected board voted to rescind its support for the project. Company executives had previously said that the company was moving forward with the studies that would be required for permitting in spite of the ongoing lawsuit.
And Illinois regulators rejected a request by electric utility NRG for leniency in its handling of coal ash at the Waukegan coal plant, which shuttered in 2022. NRG sought to cap two coal ash ponds and leave a field containing coal ash deposits as-is, while Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor has advocated for full removal of the coal ash. The Illinois Pollution Control Board determined that Illinois violated state law in its handling of the ponds and is also on the hook for cleaning up the field.
More energy news, in case you missed it:
- Farmers and small business owners who paid for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations are waiting for federal reimbursement that might not come.
- Michigan and Indiana — both of which voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 — were set to receive more money per capita than any other state from the Inflation Reduction Act, which the Trump administration may dismantle.
- Duke Energy Ohio scrapped broad energy-efficiency plans that would have saved ratepayers money after settlement talks last year with the state’s consumer advocate and other stakeholders.
- An Ohio commission picked a Texas-based oil and gas company to lease 62 acres in Leesville Wildlife Area, in the eastern part of the state.
- Enbridge said it found no active leaks along its Line 6 pipeline during an investigation that followed a spill in Wisconsin last year.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Michigan EV industry on a knife-edge as energy project delays mount across region
Oil and gas projects fast-tracked, while Minnesota Power plans to quit fossil fuels
Featured image: Tesla Cybertruck display at a dealership in Indianapolis. (Photo Credit: iStock)
